After spending more than a quarter of a century as a chef, a Highland graduate who has cooked for Taylor Swift is swapping the heat of professional kitchens for a new career in the primary school classroom.
Graeme Gunn, age 44, who grew up in Thurso, is retraining as a teacher after completing a history degree with The Open University in Scotland in just two-and-a-half years.
His move into education follows a remarkable catering career which saw him rise to become a head chef and brought him into contact with well-known names including actor Stephen Graham.
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Having started his career aged just 15, Graeme went on to work across Scotland as well as in France, Mexico and the United States, cooking alongside chefs from Michelin Starred kitchens and helping teams earn coveted rosettes.
Yet it was developing the people working alongside him, rather than the awards or high-profile encounters, which ultimately planted the seed for his next career.
Graeme said: “I had taken more enjoyment out of training people than I was getting out of cooking the food and serving clients, I loved spotting potential in people and helping them build their confidence.
“Some of the people I trained have gone on to do amazing things and all I did was give them a wee nudge in the right direction. Seeing people progress made me realise that teaching was where I wanted to go next.”
After leaving school, Graeme studied catering at Thurso College before beginning a career in the industry. After more than two decades of long hours in demanding kitchens, the physical toll of the profession led him to begin considering a very different future.
When he later stepped away from catering to care for a sick relative, encouragement from his wife and family gave him the push to explore returning to education and pursuing a completely new career.
History was the natural choice for Graeme, who has loved the subject since childhood and grew up with family members who encouraged his interest in the past. Memories of watching Open University programmes on television when he was younger led him to explore its flexible approach to learning and enrol on a history degree in January 2024.
Returning to education after decades in professional kitchens proved transformative, reigniting Graeme’s enthusiasm for learning while challenging him to master an entirely new set of academic skills.
Graeme said: “I discovered that my Open University course fees could be covered by a part-time fee grant, which promised financial support for eligible learners. Yet, even with funding, I wrestled with self‑doubt over whether I was smart enough to undertake university study.
“However, when the books arrived, it was like being a child at Christmas because I have always been somebody who wants to be taught more, and suddenly I was learning all these new things. I would study in my house, outside, on the bus, and in the car.
“It lit a fire underneath me and The Open University (OU) took over my life in the best possible way. It saved me.”
While Graeme had spent years writing detailed recipes and managing busy kitchens, writing academic essays and referencing sources accordingly presented a very different challenge.
With the support of his lecturers, he became convinced towards the end of his first level of study that he was capable of progressing through the degree course, and went on to gain first-class honours.
He said: “I was passionate in a kitchen and I want to bring that same passion into teaching because I believe in teaching people, encouraging them and helping them see what they can do.
“There were times during the degree when I wondered if I could do it, but you get over one hurdle and then the next. The support from the lecturers made a huge difference and gave me the confidence to keep going.
“During my studies, my landlord announced the sale of the house that had sheltered my family for eight years, forcing us to move. My wife was hospitalised with a sudden illness, then my youngest child needed emergency care. My OU study routine provided structure amid the chaos.
“It feels amazing to be given a first-class honours. I must admit there were tears of joy that I have never experienced before.”
That confidence has carried Graeme into the next stage of his career, with his first school placement beginning straight after his graduation.
His story reflects the opportunities flexible learning can create for people looking to build on their existing skills and experience while taking their working lives in a new direction.
Martin Boyle, principal of The Open University in Scotland, said: “Graeme’s journey shows there is no single route through education or working life.
“He has brought his experience and his passion for developing others into his studies, and he is now taking both into the classroom as he begins an entirely new chapter.”
With more than 16,450 students currently studying with The Open University in Scotland, its open-entry approach and flexible learning model help remove barriers to education. This enables people to study wherever they live and fit learning around work, family commitments and other personal circumstances.
For Graeme, this flexibility enabled him to complete his degree alongside his other commitments. His professional knowledge of food, combined with his academic background in history, has given him a broad range of experience that he can now draw on during his teacher training and across the primary curriculum.